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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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Top 3 DIY "bang for your buck" Logic7 System Upgrades
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08-16-2010, 07:40 PM | #1 |
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IMO, and based on my experience:
#1: Add a tweeter to the center channel. This does wonders for improving the imaging of the L7 system. Before, voices were located close to the left tweeter pod, and after they are very close to dead center, almost head-high. This also adds some "crispness" to the front stage. Highly recommended. Cost: $0 - $90 Installation time: 1-2 hours Difficulty: 2 (1-9) Pics: L7 tweeter with in-line crossover and plug-in connector Tweeter plugs right into midrange Tweeter mounted using high-tech bracket made from tin cookie box Gorilla glue is awesome Make sure the tweeter is mounted such that the surface does not touch the grille. Note: If you want, you can "borrow" the tweeter from the rear deck (only in a sedan). Unless you like to fade to the rear of the car, you will likely not notice the difference with or without the tweeter back there. #2: Amplifying the underseat woofers. Basically, the OEM amp does not put out enough power for these to play to their full potential. Yes, they are OEM drivers and have their limitations, but they happen to be well-built, are optimized for the enclosures they're in, and do sound quite good with added "responsible" power. Notice to bass-heads: this upgrade is not for you!!! This will not shake the hell out of the car, make your system be heard for 5 blocks, or even make your rear-view mirror shake - it just allows the OEM "woofers" to keep up with the rest of the system. Cost: $100 - $300 Installation time: 1-3 hours Difficulty: 3 (1-9) I originally did this the simplest way possible: Cut the OEM speaker wires coming from the OEM amp in the trunk, and feed the signal into an amp with speaker-level inputs and auto turn-on circuitry (like Blaupunkt Tha1250PnP). Then connect the speaker output from the amp back into the OEM wiring going to the woofers. You can use a mono amp, like I did, or stereo, the difference is virtually inaudible. Use the high-pass filter on the amp to protect the OEM woofers from overexcursion (and melting of the voice-coils), and set it at about 50 to 60 Hz. You can set it lower, or "off", but be very careful! If you don't want to cut the OEM wiring, and/or you want to use an amp without speaker level inputs and auto-turn-on circuitry, forum member Technic has a harness for sale that will allow you to hook up an aftermarket amp without cutting any wires, period. It doesn't get any easier! This thread was very helpful for me when I did this upgrade: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ght=logic7+amp #3: Install MS-8 Processor to replace L7 amp (requires #1 upgrade above) Info here: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...highlight=ms-8 Cost: $700 - $1000 (using OEM speakers) Installation time: 3-5 hours Difficulty: 4 (1-9) P.S. don't try to remind me about the SWS-8 upgrade, it is #4 and didn't make the list! Last edited by kaigoss69; 08-21-2010 at 12:33 PM.. |
08-16-2010, 08:57 PM | #2 |
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Nice write up...one suggestion though. Can you post your settings? Mainly if your using the L7 "surround sound" or not and if you are, which one...Concert or Theater Hall?
The tweeter in the center channel is interesting. Is it wired in line with the midbass driver like the doors? Any mods to the speaker or just plug in like the doors? |
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08-17-2010, 01:46 AM | #5 |
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any electrical problems in the near future? error codes for this?
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08-17-2010, 02:14 AM | #6 |
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I like my center speaker, I missed it when I unplugged it while waiting for the new one. And my stock L7 setup makes my rearview mirror vibrate.
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08-17-2010, 07:04 AM | #7 | |
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Quote:
The tweeter plugs right in to the mid (see pic). It is thereby wired parallel to the mid, just like in the doors and rear deck. Last edited by kaigoss69; 08-17-2010 at 07:09 AM.. |
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08-17-2010, 07:07 AM | #8 | |
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2) Replacing the fronts speakers is neither DIY (at least not for the average person), nor bang for your buck, not with L7 as the basis. |
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08-17-2010, 11:24 AM | #9 |
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If it were me, and if possible, I would leave the outside assembly on the tweeter. The top plastic is just for protection (on this model) but towards
the outside where you see the tiny roll-edge attached to the dome, the plastic that's placed over that region (normally) has a lot to do with the frequency response of the tweeter. It's usually much worst when that portion isn't there. just my $0.02 and if you like then it's good enough. dT |
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08-17-2010, 12:29 PM | #11 | |
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Quote:
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08-18-2010, 11:20 AM | #12 |
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Correct, the plastic bezel has nothing to do with the "suspension" of the tweeter, but it dose have an effect on the phase relationship between the roll edge (suspension) and the dome itself. It also helps control the off axis dispersion. If you look very closely, you can see there is a bevel right at the roll edge in the bezel and a certain distance between the bezel and roll edge... both are part of the design.
Only adding my suggestions based on designs I've worked on in the past. Not sure if I've ever worked with that tweeter in particular, but every one I have worked on that area of the design was also important. As I said before.. Only adding my 0.02 and that's it. |
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08-18-2010, 11:55 AM | #13 |
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It's beveled to minimize it's affect on the freq. response, that's it. A lip of plastic is not going to be able to affect the phase of anything. Are you sure you know what phase is? There is simply no way for the surround to have any phase problems that the dome doesn't. Hell, if you're looking at a single driver like this phase doesn't even exist since phase is only a relationship between two drivers.
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08-19-2010, 05:43 PM | #14 |
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So if we "borrow" this tweeter from the rear (wouldn't this be standard on a Logic 7 system?), it should just plug-in into the center channel speaker, correct?
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08-19-2010, 06:26 PM | #15 | |
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Yes it plugs right in, just look at the pics... |
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08-21-2010, 07:22 AM | #16 |
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What is everyone's opinion on the BSW Stage 1 speaker upgrade? I am looking for a little more softness (ears tend to start bleeding when i crank it up), and also I would like a little more bump.
So here is what i am thinking: 1. Center Tweeter 2. BSW Speakers 3. SWS-8 w/amp 4. MS-8 Or 1. Tweeter 2. BSW Speakers 3. 10" trunk sub (ws6 ?) 4. underseat mids? 5. MS-8 6. Amp for mids and sub ? |
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08-21-2010, 10:43 AM | #17 | |
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For the hardware (MS-8, amp, sub & box) I would recommend you contact VP Electricity. You may also want to get a harness from Technic, which will allow you to do all the electrical connections without cutting/splicing any wires at all. Last edited by kaigoss69; 08-21-2010 at 12:37 PM.. |
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09-09-2010, 03:56 PM | #18 |
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I did the tweeter addition to the center channel upgrade this week. It sounds like a totally different system for some reason. I noticed the center channel is still functioning even when the logic 7 setting is turned to off. The vocals are just much clearer. Could adding the tweeter have changed the impedance of the center channel speaker?
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09-09-2010, 04:36 PM | #19 |
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Where are you guys getting the tweeter to add to the dash speaker?
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09-10-2010, 05:50 AM | #22 |
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